You’re waving goodbye to your guests after an enjoyable but long week guiding in the field. After the early mornings, late dinners, and being non-stop in the spotlight with a smile on your face, you’re exhausted. But what tasks still lie between you and “me time”? When is the tour really done?
I used to guide an itinerary from the Spanish Pyrenees to Costa Brava. The last day was always a heated negotiation between the guides. Do we take advantage and go swimming in the Mediterranean’s inviting, turquoise waters exploring hidden “calas” and beaches—or should we head back to base to break down the trip and get an early night? You’d hear colleagues barter, “How much can I pay you to do my share of post-trip work and let me stay here?” Suddenly money wasn’t worth very much to a guide who had the next day off.
Despite the reluctance, we all knew how important clearly defined post-trip tasks were. Without them, even if we went for that swim, there’d be that nagging thought in the back of our minds: what if I forgot something?
The Checklist I Wish I Had
In this article, I’m sharing the post-tour checklist I wish I had when I was guiding. It’s based on years of guiding and supporting operations across countless trips. It covers everything from kit clean-up to guest follow-up, and from supplier notes to incident logs. My hope is it helps you make sure nothing is missed, so next time you’re eyeing that post-tour swim (or however you choose to celebrate), you can enjoy it knowing everything’s covered.
For Field Staff: The Perfect Hand-off
Your job doesn’t end when the guests leave. These tasks help wrap the trip up properly, hand over crucial info to the office, and set things up for the next departure so nothing gets lost in the transition.
| Task | Why It’s Important | Things to Include |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment Clean-Up and Inventory Checks | Accountability is key. The next trip needs working equipment, and it’s always tempting to skimp on cleaning or fail to report accidental equipment damage. | Vehicle inspection, mileage reports, broken or lost items, battery charging, kit inventory, bike service needs. |
| Expense Submission | Post-trip receipts are like socks—easier to deal with right away before they vanish. | Itemized receipts, petty cash reconciliation, credit card logs. Submit within 48 hours for best results. |
| Guest Notes & Feedback | The field has information the office never sees. | Dietary quirks, special requests, standout moments, complaints, or guest preferences. Bonus points if you flag potential repeat guests or brand ambassadors. |
| Guide Debrief Form | Build organizational memory. | What went well, what didn’t, vendor notes, route timing suggestions, gear challenges, and proposed itinerary tweaks. |
| Thank You Note and Follow-Up | Remind guests of their great time and to think ahead to the next trip. | Promised photo shares, flagged questions. Send this info to the office clearly. Consider using a schedule send (a feature available in most email platforms) for 3 days after the trip. Kevin from One Life Japan emphasizes the value of social engagement. In addition to sharing photos, maps, and cultural highlights, he follows guests on social media and keeps in touch. This ongoing, genuine connection enhances the guest experience and often leads to repeat bookings and strong word-of-mouth referrals. |
For Office Staff: Closing the Loop
While the guides wrap things up in the field, the office team ties things off in the backend. These steps ensure nothing gets missed operationally, vendors feel valued, and your systems stay sharp for the next trip.
| Task | Why It’s Important | Things to Include |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback Review & Tagging | Feedback is only useful if it’s read, tagged, and stored where it informs future trips. | Star moments for marketing, red flags for ops, vendor praise or complaints. |
| Supplier Follow-Up | Vendors are partners, not vending machines. | Thank-you notes, questions, heads-ups on issues. It’s also a good moment to lock in updates or pricing for future dates. |
| Financial Reconciliation | Get a clear sense of trip profitability while the data is fresh. | Match expenses with budgets, flag overages or missing receipts, calculate per-guest margin. |
| Incident Log Update (if needed) | Don’t let safety or service failures slip through the cracks. | Health incidents, major complaints, missed bookings, or key learnings. |
| Post-Tour Review Meeting (optional but powerful) | Make every tour better than the last | Pick one tour per month to review in depth. Look for patterns. Use it to inform future improvements or team training. |
| Close the Tour in Your System | Make it official | Final step: mark the tour as complete, trigger archiving protocols, and notify relevant stakeholders (e.g., marketing, finance). |
So … when is a Tour Really Done?
A tour is only truly “done“ when the post-trip checklist is complete, where every task defined, every owner assigned, and every due date clear. That doesn’t mean everything has to be finished immediately, it just means nothing is left forgotten or unassigned.
I get it - creating a checklist might feel like the last thing you want to do after a tour, especially when you’re running on fumes.
But spending a little extra time to fill out and complete a post-trip checklist gives you the freedom to be present. For me, it’s what lets me dive into that Mediterranean water fully present because I know everything’s been scheduled, itemised, and not waiting to catch me off guard later.
And the good news? Now you don’t have to start from scratch with this checklist ready and waiting.
By the way, if you think I’ve missed anything in the checklist, just shoot me an email at charles@fieldbook.com and I’ll make sure it gets added.
